Fasting Glucose . . is it a good test to dwtermine if you have Diabetes???

intensity_too · 07-18-2005, 10:40 PM

I just had a ton of labs done to check for Diabetes, Thyriod problems, Lupus ect.

My fasting Glucose level came back at 99, which is in the normal range but I wonder if this is the best test to run to determine if you do have diabetes. Does anyone have any insight into this?

My family doctor (who did the testing) wants me to check my blood 3 times a day . . . once in the morning and twice after meals. I didn't get much help from the pharmacist on what these numbers should be and what numbers may indicate a problem I should notify my doctor about. Can anyone give me this info?

TIA!
Jaime

JESS4HOUSTON · 07-20-2005, 03:22 PM

I will let you know!! I'm waiting on a call back from my Dr now to find out what range my numbers should be in. But make sure you consider that I am IR and my range will be different then yours but I will be glad to share it with you once I found out.

intensity_too · 07-20-2005, 05:57 PM

I would love to know! I am also diagnosed IR. The only reason my levels came back "normal" is because I am on a mega dose of Met ER . . . 2250mg per day!!!!!!

Jaime

nobimbo · 07-21-2005, 09:56 AM

2 hours after eating it should be <140.
3 hours after eating it should be <120.

Linda

JESS4HOUSTON · 07-21-2005, 10:26 AM

My Dr said my fasting should be less then 99. Two hours after meal should be less then 120.

purplerose · 07-21-2005, 05:22 PM

I'm going to try to tackle both questions with a big long explanation.

Short answer: Yes, the fasting glucose test is the most widely used test for diabetes, and for you I'm guessing it's the best test since you know you're IR.

Long explanation: Sometimes a glucose tolerance test (GTT) is done to check for IR and diabetes. Since you're IR, I'm guessing you've had this done before--it's the one where you have blood drawn after fasting, drink a sugary solution, and then have blood drawn again after a set time interval (usually two hours). This test checks for both IR and diabetes by testing both fasting glucose and glucose levels after eating. In a normal person, blood sugar is below 100 while fasting and below 140 two hours after eating. In an IR person, fasting is below 100 (normal) or 100-125 (pre-diabetic), and above 140 after two hours. That means that two hours wasn't long enough for your body to process the glucose, meaning you're IR, but eventually your blood sugar will return to normal, meaning you aren't diabetic. In a diabetic person, fasting is above 126 and above 140 after two hours. That means not only that two hours wasn't long enough for your body to process the glucose, but also that your body is unable to bring its glucose levels down to normal even after fasting. When I had these tests done, my fasting glucose was normal but it was 143 after two hours, so I'm very slightly IR.

Summary of long explanation: Since you know you're IR, another GTT could be done to check for diabetes, but since fasting glucose is what will let your doctor know if your IR has progressed to diabetes, that's probably all that he/she will want to check. If it had been abnormal, he/she would probably follow up with another fasting glucose or GTT before making a diagnosis of diabetes.

I hope all that made some sense and wasn't just a repeat of things you already know. It's the best way I've found to put together all of the stuff that I've heard/read about diagnosing diabetes.

Edit: Jess, what part of Virginia are you in?

JESS4HOUSTON · 07-21-2005, 05:43 PM

Colonial Heights, VA..... about 30 minutes south of Richmond